Lunar Eclipse, Manhattan
Here's my lunar eclipse story, to add to the ones already out there in the blogosphere (or my corner of it):
Wendnesday was one of my busier days, starting with a doctor's appointment at 11:30 a.m. for my yearly physical. In the course of the appointment, I mentioned that I had adopted a sleep-late strategy to deal with not being able to eat anything until after the appointment. "I didn't go to work this morning," I confided. My doctor said, in a motherly but rather clueless way, "Well, I hope you don't have to go to work now."
I just looked at her. "Well, yeah, I do."
"Oh, that's a long day," she said. I replied, "Well, actually I not only have to go to work, but then I teach in the evening." When I told her I wasn't done teaching until 8:15 p.m., she said, "Oh, that's a really long day."
It turned into an even longer day. Not only did I go to work after the doctor's appointment, and teach, but decided to stop off on the way home from teaching to see a friend from work perform at a jazz club. (Well, it is one of my New Year's resolutions to hear live music!)
I'm always kind of wired after teaching, so it felt great to go to a club, have a beer at the bar, and get to see my friend perform in an amazing band--a ten-piece tango orchestra.
After the set ended, I chatted with my friend a little bit and then left. I was so happy from hearing good music and being out in the city that I decided I could even stand to take the subway home. (Faithful readers will know that I struggle with my addiction to the expensive comforts of the taxi home after my teaching nights--and at other times, too.) As I was walking to the subway (only a block away), still hearing the lush, romantic tango music in my head, I began to notice that it was a little cold outside. I stared longingly at one taxi that went by. Well, maybe....
Then a voice said to me: "Look up for a minute."
I turned, confused. Was it the taxi driver, leaning out the window? No, it was a security guard standing in front of one of the cold, empty office buildings.
Then I remembered as I looked up.
"The eclipse!" I said.
"Yes," he said. "It's almost over now."
There was the moon, almost covered in shadow, with a bright crescent sliver visible on the right.
"Wow," I said to the guy. "That's great." Then I added, "I guess it's coming back now?"
"Yeah," he said.
I stared up at the moon, shivering in the cold darkness of a clear night in the city, happy to have this moment with someone I didn't know.
The guard said, "You know, some people, you say somethin' to them, and they look at you like . . . " He pantomined a look of fear and distaste.
"Yeah, I know," I said. I smiled at him to show him I wasn't one of those people.
He turned to go inside, and I said, "Thank you."
Then I got on the subway.
Wendnesday was one of my busier days, starting with a doctor's appointment at 11:30 a.m. for my yearly physical. In the course of the appointment, I mentioned that I had adopted a sleep-late strategy to deal with not being able to eat anything until after the appointment. "I didn't go to work this morning," I confided. My doctor said, in a motherly but rather clueless way, "Well, I hope you don't have to go to work now."
I just looked at her. "Well, yeah, I do."
"Oh, that's a long day," she said. I replied, "Well, actually I not only have to go to work, but then I teach in the evening." When I told her I wasn't done teaching until 8:15 p.m., she said, "Oh, that's a really long day."
It turned into an even longer day. Not only did I go to work after the doctor's appointment, and teach, but decided to stop off on the way home from teaching to see a friend from work perform at a jazz club. (Well, it is one of my New Year's resolutions to hear live music!)
I'm always kind of wired after teaching, so it felt great to go to a club, have a beer at the bar, and get to see my friend perform in an amazing band--a ten-piece tango orchestra.
After the set ended, I chatted with my friend a little bit and then left. I was so happy from hearing good music and being out in the city that I decided I could even stand to take the subway home. (Faithful readers will know that I struggle with my addiction to the expensive comforts of the taxi home after my teaching nights--and at other times, too.) As I was walking to the subway (only a block away), still hearing the lush, romantic tango music in my head, I began to notice that it was a little cold outside. I stared longingly at one taxi that went by. Well, maybe....
Then a voice said to me: "Look up for a minute."
I turned, confused. Was it the taxi driver, leaning out the window? No, it was a security guard standing in front of one of the cold, empty office buildings.
Then I remembered as I looked up.
"The eclipse!" I said.
"Yes," he said. "It's almost over now."
There was the moon, almost covered in shadow, with a bright crescent sliver visible on the right.
"Wow," I said to the guy. "That's great." Then I added, "I guess it's coming back now?"
"Yeah," he said.
I stared up at the moon, shivering in the cold darkness of a clear night in the city, happy to have this moment with someone I didn't know.
The guard said, "You know, some people, you say somethin' to them, and they look at you like . . . " He pantomined a look of fear and distaste.
"Yeah, I know," I said. I smiled at him to show him I wasn't one of those people.
He turned to go inside, and I said, "Thank you."
Then I got on the subway.
posted by Sarah Sometimes at 4:53 PM
7 Comments:
Hi, Sarah. I can't believe you'd rather take a taxi than the subway. Whenever I'm in a place with a subway, I take it even if I don't need to. Go anywhere, just to be in the cars with the people. It's another world.
I wish we had a subway system here in Snowstorm City. [They'd be pretty short rides, but still....]
I turned off all the lights in my house and got in my extra bedroom bed where the windows looked out east, and watched the whole thing from beginning to end.
The opposite of subway.
FA
That's a good story. Nice snapshot of NYC. Like fireant, I'm a big fan of the subway ride.
Cool that you got to see Dave Eggars. Sounds like fun. "With thanks and hope" is nice.
Wow; a tango band, a beautiful moment, and a lunar eclipse all in one day.
Love it!
Thanks, all, for the comments.
FA and Clowncar, I took the subway home from teaching tonight, in your honor. And also to ward off the destitution that is surely awaiting me if I don't get off the taxi thing. Actually, the last time I took a taxi home I felt sick from the fumes and being jostled by bad springs in the back seat and bad driving. That experience is helping me kick the habit....
The subway is okay--it's just that sometimes I'm so tired, after working nine to five and then teaching at night. And I have to change twice on the way home from where I teach. And that involves standing, sometimes in heels and sometimes with a huge heavy bag of books on my shoulder. You get the picture.
Todd: Thought you'd like hearing about the tango band...
oh, that's a lovely story! We didn't even try to see the moon since it was cloudy here, but if you saw it in NY then maybe it was visible here too! Why didn't we even go outside to check? (well, my husband must have checked).
Glad you like my Oscars post, I thought no one would read it after the fact ;)
As for Pride & Prejudice, I taped it back in 1996, then... in 1999 my husband gave me the DVDs for my birthday (back then it was expensive, 50 bucks, and then, later the current available DVD came out with making off and other extras and mine doesn't have those :( ). But you're right, I should blog about it sometime!
Oh, I love these pieces when you capture one of those nice NY moments ....
I am so, so jealous of a world where a jazz club is "on the way home from work."
McDonald's and WalMart are on MY way home from work!
Lovely story. I wish people would/could connect more often. We're so trapped behind our own skulls. This has been the beauty of blogging -- utter strangers can strike up conversations with splendid results.
I too watched the eclipse alone, but I'd rather have seen it alone than not at all.
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